SFLC Blog

Public Safety is not a matter of Private Concern

In a recent article,
Slate's Farhad Manjoo attempts to play down fears of faulty software
in car braking systems as a potential cause of traffic
accidents. Citing numerous studies which conclude that “the
overwhelming reason we get in crashes is driver error,” Manjoo
reasons that “the less driving people do, the fewer people will
die on the roads.”

While it may certainly be true that most crashes occur because of
intoxication, distraction, or driver fatigue, and that computer
controlled cars may decrease driver error, Manjoo doesn't seem to see
the obvious implication of his own assumptions -- “opaque”
and “inherently buggy” software which could endanger
public safety should be subject to review.